


Eulogy for the Crimson Flower

by WiseOldDragon88



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Church Route, Neutral route spoilers, Post-Time Skip, Regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 02:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20184721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiseOldDragon88/pseuds/WiseOldDragon88
Summary: There was a moment of calm understanding; eyes locked and exchanging a consensus they both knew to be true. A second reunion was inevitable and when that day came the victor would sate their blade’s thirst with regrettable blood.





	Eulogy for the Crimson Flower

**Author's Note:**

> I made the mistake of finishing Edelgard's route first and later going back and choosing the neutral divergence. :,)) This is in honor of best girl. I also had to justify Byleth's actions to myself to lessen the pain.

The weight at his chest hung almost as heavy as the Sword of the Creator stationed atop his hip. It was a strange, perplexed feeling that left Byleth in somewhat of an uneasy state.

“You must be prepared to kill Edelgard. There is no other way.”

The droning echo of his lone footsteps, bouncing between the grandeur of the outer Imperial palace, provided no shelter from the harsh reality of Seteth’s words. An uncharacteristic flinch befell Byleth’s face and halted his progression to such a future. A deep breath gave way to a pained sigh. His gaze slowly surrendered in defeat to the long awaited destiny he’d accepted but never truly faced. Moving upon instinct, the tips of his right hand hesitantly traced the cracked texture of his sword’s hilt. The smooth perfection of bone was marred by the unrelenting trials of war.

Byleth remembered now in vivid detail the exchange he last shared with the emperor. She had come; waited for him just as she had promised all those years ago. Moonlight trickled from above the Monastery and painted the scene in a soft white glow. Edelgard turned upon hearing his arrival; bewildered in disbelief beyond the guise of crimson imperial garb and the adornment of a horned headpiece. Time had been kind, maturing her with elegance. Honed regal grace only added to the intimidation of her confidence as she approached him.

“Will you return to the Empire with me?”

Despite the facade, Byleth could distinguish the undertones of disappointment at his hesitation. The way Edelgard’s eyes glistened in an attempt to confirm the reality of his decision. Byleth wounded her, having long ago chosen the road that strayed from her aspirations and ideals. Edelgard knew the answer to her question well before he needed to speak it. A downcast glance signaled as much.

Caught upon her forlorn stare, Byleth realized he could never dream to understand the entirety of their correspondence; to comprehend the undeniable bond that had formed from their time at the academy. Indeed, there was more than simple friendship that intertwined their fates; more than just a student teacher relationship that he had chosen to sever. Even now, Byleth could tell she had stolen some piece of him in the process and it indignantly mourned at depth.

Contemplating or discussing the topic further was futile. Edelgard had drawn her sword and charged, leaving Byleth just enough time to parry the assault. Together, they danced under the stars to a serenade of colliding metal. White reflected off the pristine curves of her sleek blade while the crumbling exterior of his own only acted to distinguish her beauty.

Perhaps by the habits of his new profession, Byleth found himself silently critiquing Edelgard. He focused on the sloppy footwork and half hearted strokes that betrayed the fractures in her sentiment. The labored breaths escaping between her thrusts seemed less sourced from the exertion of battle and more so from the effort it took to suppress some indistinguishable emotion boiling within. With a final swing, each had their harsh blades kissed warningly against the supple of the opposition’s cheek.

There was a moment of calm understanding; eyes locked and exchanging a consensus they both knew to be true. A second reunion was inevitable and when that day came the victor would sate their blade’s thirst with regrettable blood.

To wish such a conclusion would prove false was an understatement for Byleth. He had prayed and pleaded that some alternative would arise; an act of mercy to neutralize the cruelty of his chosen route. Alas, such a fate proved inescapable.

Now Byleth stood at the head of his army. Soldiers bellowed morale and steeled themselves for a final onslaught upon the Empire. Beyond them, amid the depths of the opposing infantry, Edelgard groomed for their advance. Likely still nursing wounds from her previous altercation with Kingdom and Alliance forces, she would undoubtedly act companioned with desperation. Byleth found himself hoping she had not become corrupted by such an influence as he charged onward.

The hacking and slashing of enemy waves that abashed Byleth was hardly noticed. His mind was lost far beyond the commotion of battle. He thought only of her.

Edelgard had shown such promise in the youthful years. Her determination was intoxicating, demanding friend and foe alike to acknowledge her reasoning and question their course of action. Byleth rampaged blindly through his mind, dredging forth even the tiniest memory of her. Rooted doubt was beginning to flourish as he struggled to justify his executioner’s march.

“In order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fódlan, they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh. Now here I stand, the fruit of that endeavor: Edelgard von Hresvelg!”

Byleth rattled her words about his skull. He was forcing himself to face the haunts of willingly neglected knowledge. Why had Edelgard offered her past so freely to him? She exposed the secrets of a corrupted Empire. The fractures in an outwardly pristine society were unveiled. Byleth growled then threw his frustration at the misfortuned soldier barring his path.

“Ours weren’t the only lives devastated by that terrible process. Innocents died as well, without even knowing what they were dying for.”

Crests. Their very existence stood as a testament to the Heroes of old who sacrificed much during the War of Heroes. They represent empowerment bestowed by the goddess, intended to create an idealistic land ruled by noble lineages. Why now were they used to fuel atrocity and defilement? Was the goddess to blame for entrusting such power to feeble minds? Or perhaps something more sinister laid within the lore of crests and their allied weaponry. 

“For the sake of my family and for all the poor souls whose lives were traded for my existence... I will build a world where such meaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned. As Emperor, I will change the world, I swear it.”

Those who fight against the Empire claim Edelgard’s actions only harbor causeless suffering. That she has chosen to provoke superfluous bloodshed in the name of expanding the Empire’s claim.

“She is a danger to all of Fódlan. Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating.”

No. Byleth always knew something so trivial would never drive Edelgard to upheaval. But at the time, the Church was being invaded. Edelgard had crashed into the Holy Tomb and pillaged without warning; instinct driving Byleth into defense without the consult of logic. Was it truly without warning? Byleth toiled the pieces of this puzzle as he loomed ever closer to Edelgard’s dwelling.

“Wicked child...The Church of Seiros will raise its entire army against you until you have been captured and punished!”

Is that the mission he intended to accomplish this fated day? Was he to exact revenge for the crippling of the Church, for the capture of Lady Rhea? Back then, others among the Black Eagle house had opposed Edelgard with such ease. Perhaps Byleth found himself swept within the tempest of emanating emotion. He endeavored for some meaningful justification of his actions.

The colossal gateway ahead warned an end to Byleth’s venture. Her army nearly decimated, Edelgard was holed in the throne room beyond. Pursuing those who had chosen to flee occupied much of his allied force. A heavy swallow checked the dry anticipation that had formed as Byleth dared to enter the dwelling unaccompanied.

The extravagance of gold trimmed inlay and velvet carpeting would have proved insurmountable for any other whom was unaccustomed to the lavish of royalty. However, all the imposing grandeur was lost to Byleth whose stare fixated on the figure pedestaled atop the throne. Edelgard took footing upon his arrival and reached to equip Aymr. The devilish axe breathed life at her touch; the blazing eye of the mounted crest stone eager for combat.

The clap of heeled boots meeting marble resounded deafeningly as Edelgard descended to meet Byleth on an even terrain. Her violet eyes never wavered from him; they refused to reveal even the slightest symptom of emotion. Byleth scoured for some falter, any indication that perhaps she could be compelled into surrender. Regrettably, he found not the slightest hesitation as he had that night in the Monastery. Edelgard was steadfast to carry out her mission and would readily die alongside its collapse.

The powers of divinity clashed. Aymr’s crushing blows were barely deflectable with the Creator Sword’s might. While speed and dexterity favored Byleth, each were matched and possibly surpassed by Edelgard’s strength and defense. Any opportunity Byleth found to strike at her flank was met by the impenetrable armor of her shield. The mocking heads of her gold-plated eagle turned the boned vertebrae of his blade aside with ease, leaving Byleth precariously open to counterattacks.

A waver in his dodge was all it took for Byleth to find himself hammered beneath the weight of Edelgard’s malicious weapon. Blade barely returning in time to intercept the fatal blow, Byleth found his legs crumbling as he fought to divert the power of her strike. Aymr’s beastly spines reached for flesh beyond the cover of his sword. Slowly they crept towards him as Edelgard pressed with the intent to impale. Drawing upon adrenaline and the power of his crest, Byleth was able to coax the added strength needed to avert the rush to his right. Edelgard howled in lament as her weapon gave way to only the barren ground.

There! He had seen it as she struggled to free Aymr from the crater it had produced moments before. Undetectable to any but the one who had mentored her five years ago, Edelgard disclosed the tender favoring of her left side. She hadn’t allowed him access before, but the blow had been revealing. Some remnants of her injuries remained. That would be the crippling leverage he needed to gain the upper hand.

Pressure. Retreat. Pressure. Retreat. Byleth relentlessly hounded the crumbling stamina of Edelgard’s left side. Every nick and bash weakened the mighty empress, forcing her to act out of bewilderment. In the end, Edelgard made the profound mistake of focusing all her defense on another presumed assault to her vulnerability. Byleth feigned compliance then delivered a devastating blow to her unattended right. Edelgard’s scream covered the sound of splintering bone as his sword found its mark. She faltered, stumbling away from him. Moments later, Aymr’s light dimmed while clattering to the cold stone; the muscle in Edelgard’s tattered arm was no longer able to support its bulk.

Byleth tensed as he awaited Edelgard’s next move. An appreciated moment to catch his breath was cut short as her remaining hand crept to remove the sword at her side. The blade parted from its scabbard with polished ease. There was a timeless instant of pointed accusation, the twinkling tip aimed warningly at Byleth’s heart. Exhaustion extinguished the threat and Edelgard’s quivering blade was driven downwards for stability as she collapsed to her knees.

“It looks as though... my path... ends here.”

Edelgard panted endlessly between her words and sweat glistened like diamonds across her forehead. The fingers of her right hand graced the dying light of her battle axe. The weight of her wounds finally taking their toll. Shattered bone and internal bleeding rendered Edelgard incapable of continuing the struggle. Byleth found himself wavering to capitalize upon her falter. Perhaps she could still be saved-

“My teacher...claim your victory. Strike me down. You must! Even now... across this land, people are killing each other. If you do not act now, this conflict...will go on forever.”

Had she known his very thoughts; had she easily dispelled the mask of indifference he tried to maintain as they quarreled? Edelgard demanded her own execution. But why, when she could be salvaged? Byleth knew her reasoning for conquest was not unjust, as those at the church had claimed. Edelgard stood drenched in the blood of war, yet she took that burden in order to save countless generations from the damnation of divine influence. Could her ideals not be implemented into the new era hastening ever closer?

“Your path... lies across my grave. It is time for you to find the courage to walk it.”

Her challenge awoke a burdensome pain in Byleth’s chest. What should have been the pounding of his heart instead felt constricted to the point of suffocating. Byleth struggled to maintain his stoic demeanor, caring not to have Edelgard see the strength of her words.

“If I must fall... let it be by your hand.”

Edelgard was right. She was always right. To save her now would only be to prolong her anguish for the sake of his own selfishness. Byleth could not protect her from the Church; interrogation and torture awaited those who are condemned. Better to honor the ideals of a mighty ruler by granting a swift and painless end. It was the least he could offer to atone for the divergence in their paths.

Byleth refastened his grip on the Sword of the Creator with a renewed sense of determination. Daring steps led to the bowed Empress; her neck offered to his mercy. Byleth summoned all his strength to raise for the terminal blow. Edelgard braved not the look that may befell her from the harbinger of death, instead she settled to speak her peace.

“I wanted... to walk with yo-” 

No! Byleth felt his muscles committed to the conclusive plunge. Very little resistance met his blade as it crashed through flesh and bone alike, silencing his former student once and for all. The warm fluid of life spilled carelessly upon the ground, drenching his boots in a matter of seconds. Byleth’s weakening hands were unable to burden his sword further. The weapon dropped with a splash into the growing pool of crimson as he staggered away from the crime.

Her final words had been savagely cut short. Byleth reasoned no other choice. He had to take her life in that very moment, for if her words managed to escape... he feared the commitment to his conviction would have shattered like glass in a hammer’s wake.

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie... that cutscene had me tearing up. On to the Golden Deer route for me! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and didn't find too many mistakes. Kudos and comments always appreciated :)))
> 
> *edit* Deer route was fun! Very lore based which I appreciate... Lions is next >:((... Im sorry, but I don’t like Dimitri.. he seems like a monstrous cry baby who gets too much pity from the fanbase. Guess I’ll find out soon enough. Also gonna try F!Byleth since she seem canon for the route.


End file.
